The 'world's first jet suit paramedic' unveiled in the Lake District by the GNAAS
It is thought to be the world's first jet suit paramedic.
A collaboration between Gravity Industries and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) resulted in a test flight in the Lake District.
The trial at the Langdale Pikes saw Chief Test Pilot Richard Browning fly from the valley bottom to a simulated casualty site on The Band, near Bowfell.
The simulated casualty site would take around 25 minutes to reach by foot, but in the jet suit was reached in just 90 seconds.
Watch below (credit: Gravity Industries):
Andy Mawson, director of operations and paramedic at GNAAS, identified the Lakes as a possible location for a jet suit paramedic.
He said: “We could see the need. What we didn’t know for sure is how this would work in practice. Well we’ve seen it now and it is, quite honestly, awesome.”
Mr Mawson said the exercise had demonstrated the huge potential of utilising jet suits to deliver critical care services.
He added: “In a time in healthcare when we are exhausted with COVID and its effects, it’s important to still push the boundaries.
“We think this technology could enable our team to reach some patients much quicker than ever before. In many cases this would ease the patient’s suffering. In some cases, it would save their lives.”
Richard Browning, who is also founder of Gravity Industries, added: “It was wonderful to be invited to explore the capabilities of the Gravity Jet Suit in an emergency response simulation and work alongside the team at GNAAS. We are just scratching the surface in terms of what is possible to achieve with our technology."
He also explained how 'terrain hugging' helps to keep the jet suit paramedic safe:
Read more: